Switch-lock



P. H. MYERS.

SWITCH LOCK.

.PPLICATION FILED JULY 23, |919.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

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PHILIP H( MYERS, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Y sWITcHf'LooK.

heisses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

fAppIica/ioii filed July 23, 1919. serial No. 312,717.

To all whom t muy conce/11:

Beit known that I, PHILIP I-I. MYERS, a citizen of the Lntcd States, and a resident l of Philadelphia, n the county or" Philadelphia and State et Pennsylvania, haveinv vented a new and-Improved Switch-Lock, of which the Jfollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a switchl'ock, and aims topprovide'a device by means of which when thepoint o'i' a switch has once been thrown it wouldbe impossible for this point to shift subsequently, unless directly operatedby some outside agency.

fis it is known at theV present time, the usual type of automatic switch, employed more particularly in connection with street railways, visone whichis operated by means of electromagnet's. The motorman of a car,

when operating a switch of this type,

usually brings the car to an almost complete stop at a predetermined point in advance of the switch. He then'operates hisV electrical controller Aso that a certain amount of current is'introduced through the motors of the car. At this point the third rail, or trolley wire, is provided with suitable means which act as an agent to supply current through 1 the electromagnets of the switch, resulting in the throw of the switch point to the opposite direction from which the saine is sta4 tioned at that time.

The above-described apparatus involves the provision of a 'fairly complicated electrical arrangement to produce these results'. It' has often occurred, through certain de- I'ects inv this system, that the front truck of a car has been guided in a certain direction and, subsequent to the passing of such first truck over the switch point, and prior to the entrance of the-second truck thereon, the

point has been thrown back, resulting, especially when the car is'travelingi'at a fairly high rate of speed, in one, if-fnotboth, of thel trucks jumping the track, which 'has caused quite a number of serious accidents, besides tying up trafhc and resulting in `a proportionate increased expense of operation to the' l railway company.y

I have now constructed a switch which is positive in operation andwhich 'may beV i agency.

. Reference -is had to Vthe accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical Vembodiment oi'.1 my. invention, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch with certain of the housings for the operating and locking mechanisms in section, so as to reveal the underlying structure;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing upon the track the `front part of a car provided with one convenient form of switch-operating mechamsm;

Fig. 3 is a sectional front view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Y Fig. 4 is a section taken along line L-4 of Fig. l and also showing mounted upon the tracks a car with a switch-operating mechanism similar to Athat disclosed in Fig. 2.

In all of these views like reference numerals indicate similar parts, and 1 designates the conventional ties upon which rails 2 are mounted. Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, 4it will be seen that I have disclosed a switch embodying the conventional frog 3 and a movable point 4. The pointV is positively held or moved by means of a slidable bar 5 which is pivotally secured at one of its ends, as indicated'by the reference numeralG, to the point 4. The outer end of such bar may project'into an opening,such as V6', associated with the rails 2 et this point, when the point has been moved so as to provide a straight-away track. The opposite end is pivotally secured as indiV cated by the reference numeral 7, to a portion approximately intermediate the two eX- tremities of a rocker arm 8. The rocker arm is held so as to be capable of oscillation by means of a link 9 which has its outer end pivotally secured to a fixed portion, such as the tiel, its opposite end connecting with the rocker arm 8 at the pivot 7.

One of the outer ends of the rocker arm 8 bears against Vthe inner face of one oi the rails 2, the opposite end'thereof riding inwardly along a wedge surface 10.

Assuming now that it is desired to oper ate the' point 4 by means of an element mounted upon the car, so that it will not be necessary to havea switch attendant; I provide, as clearly shown in Fig.` l, slidable links 11, which are pivotally secured at their outer ends to the extremities ofthe rocker arm 8 slotted, as indicated by the reference numeral 12, in which slots, pins 13 mounted upon slidable blocks 14 ride.

The blocks 14; are provided with upstanding earsY 15, which ears are ,engaged ,byY

means of the slottedends"1G-'of a b ar 17- which is rotatably mounted upon affixed-A gbase, such asthe tie 1.

Any suitable operating 'inechanismmay be provided for moving the ears i'and,`c`on-` sequently, projecting the blocks '14,--such' as, for instance, the-'device illustrated; in Figs. 2 and 4f, in whichllthe cai' is provided with a rocker bar 'lrforined with' downwardlytending ends 19.4 The rails 2 are preferably e providedl at Apoints adjacent the path of travel of theV ears 15 with shallow scoopedout portions 20, Vby `means of which the downwardly-dependingends .19 of the rocker l' bar 18willbe inoved out of engagement Ywith .such ears when lthe limit ofl travel of the will 'be appreciated that it will-be an easy matter'vfor the operator of a carto depress therequiredside -of the bar 18 so that the Ydownwaidly-bent lend' 19 will. ride intoJ the Y scooped-outportion 20 of the rail 2 and, consequently, vengage the ear 15 of the block 141, causing said block to be projectedforward.

. By Virtueef the links. 11 beingconnected with the blocks-'141, the' saine will'be 'caused to move with such blocks and result in a moving of the-outerV ends of tlie rocker arm-8. v n Y One end of the -rocker arm 8 will mov Vdownwardly along the face of one of the wedges 10, while the 'opposite'end is rising aloiigthe face of the opposite wedge, resultingrin a longitudinal shifting ofsuch armV and -a consequential pull or push upon vthe bar 5, causing an opening or closing of the switch point.

' A s aforestated, upon the completion vofthe above-described operation,- the downwardlyvbentv endv 19'of the rocker barg18 will ride out of-engagement with the'earl-by virtue of the shallow scooped-out portion 2O ofthe rail 2. It Vwill-now be understood that` it will. be absolutely impossible Afor the point to shift again unless thelinl-:s 11' are moved,

by reason ofthe wedge surfaces'llO; and inVV connection withthis it pointed out that -it would be .impossiblel to' evenmanually e Vshift the point 4 means ofa bar.y similar to va crow'baig-'by virtue ofthe lockingac-.-l tion exerted by such wedge surfaces. On

the. "other "hand, Van oscillation ot the rocker arn'iB about the pivoted 'end of 'the link 'is 'effectedwith'the' utmost ease'when a push is vexerted' upon either fone Ior the other fof the links 11.`

It to be vapprec iated that any Vnumber-of modifications maybe made in connection with the structui'eof' myfdevice within the scope of my claims.

' Having thus described my invention, I desire to claim:

'1'. A switch lock, comprising a switch, including rails, a movable point, a bar secured to such point and adapted toliold or move the same, a rockerarm for shifting such bar, andy means associated with the outer endsA of thevrocker arm for normally preventing any longitudinal movement ofl said bar. Y

Y 2,-A switch lock, comprising a switch, including rails, a movablepoint associated with such rails, a bar securedto and adapted to fixedlyv hold and move such point, a

rocker arm secured to the inner end of such Y In' n n bar, and wedges cooperating with the outer ends of such rocker arm.-

3, A switch lock,'comprising a switch, including rails, a switch point associated Vwith suchlrails, a bar secured to and adapted to positively hold such point,V a link having one of its rends pivotally securedto a fixed point, a rocker arm pivotally securedV tothe opposite end of such link,-the opposite end of such bar being pivotally secured to such rocker arm, andV wedge surfaces engaging the-outerends ofsuch-rocker arm.A il. .A'switch lock, comprising a switch, in-V cluding rails,a switch-point associated with such rails, a'bar secured to and adapted to positively hold such point, a link having one of its ends pivotally secured to a fixed point, a' rocker arm pivotally secured tothe opposite end of' such link,the opposite end 'such' bar being-pivotally secured to said rocker arm at its point of connection with the link, ,and vwedge surfaces engaging the the outer ends of such rocker arm. Y

5. A switchlock, comprising in combination switch including rails, movable pointA associated with such rails, alcar havingV its outer end pivotally secured toV such po .-.t and being .adapted to hold and move the sam'ea link having one of :its'ends pivoted Vupon a Vfixed point, a rocker arm pivotally secured to the oppositeend ofsuch link,y the inner end ofsuch bar V'being pivotally secured to such rocker arm atthis latter pivot, wedge surfaces copei'ating with lthe outer ends of such rocker varm,links hav-ing their outer ends pivotally secured to theouter ends of the roker arm-,fslidable.blocks provide-,fl with ears-,'the inner ends of the links being secured to suchV blocks, and abai' rotatably mounted upon afixed point efitendingb'etween such blocks,*the .outer ends` of suoli bar being slotted andencirclingsaid ears. 

